Chapter 6
Disclaimer: Not mine. Big surprise.
Author's note: I never should have asked that question because now I have a dilema. I have two people I was to give my elf to. Oh well. I'll just have to give one of you the elf, and the other one gets Jack until the elf comes available. So, for a perfectly reasonable answer I gift him first to pendragginink. I thought they took blood from the veins on the inside of the elbow joint, but I suppose the other veins would be perfectly acceptable as well. As for the Anamaria thing, I don't think he knew her long enough to make her protective over him (probably just long enough to steal her boat–Jack doesn't seem to be the sort to stick around) although I wouldn't put it past one of his more, ahem, intimate friend. As for Ashley Weber, I'm going to have to give you Jack until pendragginink is done with my elf. Mostly I'm giving him to you just to appease you. Although probably not the most feasable answer in the world, it did scare the heck out of me. I mean, ow. You stay away from me with hollowed out bone needles and boiling water. And my elf. Be nice to him or else.
And now, on to the story:
Two days later Norrington sat on the beach, looking out at the cove that served Port Royale. Jack had made arangements to send the Black Pearl back to Tortuga for the few months they would spend rehabilitating his daughter, leaving himself and Diamond in a rowboat to get themselves into town. Norrington had wanted to escort them to the Turners' just to make sure there were no problems.
A rowboat apeared in the entrance to the harbor. It slowely grew larger until he could make out a man and a woman. He could hear Diamond's light laughter as they drew closer.
He saw Jack pause as they caught sight of him in his blue coat. From that distance he could be any member of the English Navy out to pick up a wayward pirate. It was a test of sorts to see how much Jack trusted him.
Apparently he trusted him enough because he only paused for a moment before continuing toward him. Despite the drunken sway to the pirate's movements Jack's strokes were strong and sure and brought them quickly over. Norrington stepped into the water to help pull the boat up on shore and offer Diamond a hand out of the boat. As soon as her feet were firmly on dry land Diamond jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him to pull him into a close hug.
"Thank you so much, lad, for being there for her," she said. "I can't tell you what it means to me."
Laughing, Jack found his own way onto the shore. "Leave off him, luv. He's a Commodore. Stiff upper lip and all that. He may disintigrate if he were forced to show any emosion. Asides, I haven't heard a single 'thank you' from you yet, and I saved her life. I know you're desperately in love with me, but it never hurts a man to hear it."
Diamond sniffed. "As far as I'm concerned the entire situation is YOUR fault, dragging my poor girl onto that ship of yours. And don't you start in on me about her making her own choices. She never would have gotten the idea without you. At any rate I'm ignoring you only because I'm anxious to see my little girl," she told him, sending him a nasty glance.
"I'll take it," Jack answered, leading the way off of the beach. "Although she isn't a little girl any more. She's plenty capable of caring for herself. And I know how much you love me whether you admit it or not."
"Caring for herself?" Norrington asked. "She can hardly stand."
"She'll get there," Jack assured him.
Diamond sniffed. "If she were so capable of caring for herself she wouldn't have gotten sick."
"She made it through though," Jack answered proudly.
"Not really," Norrington put in. "She was dead, after all."
Jack turned on him suddenly, eyes widening, gesturing wildly for him to be quiet. He was confused until he saw the startled look Diamond was giving him. "Dead?" she repeated. "My little girl was bloody DEAD?"
"Only for a minute, luv," Jack broke in.
"A minute?! My daugher was dead for a minute?!"
"Y' know, it's funny, I didn't tell you because I thought you might react badly," Jack remarked, making one of his winding steps a bit deeper into some bizare sort of bow as he waved his spread hands about her stricken face. "I don't know where I got such a silly idea," Jack commented, throwing Norrington a dirty look.
Diamond stomped over to glare at the pirate. Jack took a step back holding his hands up defensively, fingers curling as he eyed her carefully, sending a short glance down to his sword as if he wished to draw it. "You weren't going to tell me that my daughter died because you were afraid I might react badly?" Diamond repeated.
"That was the general idea. It's no harm. She's alive and well now."
"Now?" Diamond repeated. "Now? I'll 'now' you, you bloody pirate!" she yelled, slapping him across the cheek.
"Why does everyone DO that?" Jack asked. "Is there someone following me around teaching women how to bloody slap and then sending them after me? If you're going to slap someone why don't you slap the one as opened his big mouth?"
"Because at least he TOLD me," she answered. "Come on. I want to see my daughter, unless you forgot to mension that she's still dead because you were afraid I might 'react badly.'"
"No, luv, I think you'd catch onto that sooner or later," he remarked.
"I am sorry," Norrington put in as they set out again. "I assumed you had told her."
"Do us both a favor, Norrinton," Jack ordered, leaning in close to the man who faught not to recoil at the awful breath. Jack had picked up some rum somewhere along the line, no doubt about that. "Never assume anything, especialy when it comes to me."
"You'd think I'd have learned that lesson by now," he remarked.
"Are you comming?" Diamond, who had gotten ahead of them, called back.
"Aye, luv, pearl o' me eye and joy o' me heart," Jack called back. The glare Diamond threw back at him was a bit softer compared to the others. At Norrington's curious look he added, "Hell hath no fury," before trotting to catch up with the mother of his child and wrap his arm around her waist. Norrington nearly fell over when Diamond gave him nothing more severe than a flirtatious giggle for the infraction.
"You know, Diamond, your accent is really much better than I remember. I mean that as a compliment," he put in quickly at her look.
Diamond shrugged. "I can use a proper turn of phrase when it suits me. And being around such proper people," she sent a glance at his blue coat, "I felt it was warranted."
They walked in silence the rest of the way up to the Turner house, Norrington on guard for anyone looking suspitiously at Jack despite his changed appearance. No one did, the people of Port Royal going about their business as usual.
Once they reached the Turner residence Diamond refused to wait for the maid to open the door. She stormed imediately in. Jack led her toward the parlor but Norrington called, "She was upstairs in bed when I came to get you."
"She still is," Elizabeth called over the rail as she apeared on the marble stairs.
Diamond hurried up at the call, Elizabeth comming down to meet her half way. Diamond paused to hug the girl, taking her face in her hands. "I can't thank you enough, my dear, for carring for my darling daughter."
"Not at all," Elizabeth answered, taking her hand and leading her up to the girl's bedroom. "I consider myself very fortunate to call Pearl my friend, and Jack. It's the very least I could do after all the both of them have done for us."
Elizabeth opened the bedroom door, mosioning Diamond in ahead of her. Pearl looked up from her spot on the bed reading to grin at the older woman. "Hello mama," she greeted. Throwing back the covers she stood to hug the woman.
"How long has she been standing?" Jack asked, concern leaking into his voice.
"Since yesterday. She'll stand until her legs give out. She does better if someone supports her. She made Will stand with her for twenty minutes this morning. And she took a step with Norrington just before he went to get you."
"I missed her first step again," Jack sighed.
"It's all right," Elizabeth assured him. "She'll walk some more. And I might remind you that you did give her her sea legs. You've seen her first time on a ship, and that's what she's determined to do for the rest of her life. That is a momentus occation as well."
Jack chuckled, putting an arm around Elizabeth's waist to kiss her on top of the head in a very fatherly manner. "You always know just the right thing to say, luv."
"Well, I am a Lady of breeding," she answered. "Jack?"
"Yes luv?"
"Remove your hand," she ordered, swatting at the bejeweled fingers that were working their way lower. "You may ignore my protests but I would think you would have a care for Will's objections."
"Sorry, Lizzie. It's in my blood, I'm afraid. I'm a pirate and a scoundrel through and through," he said with a mocking bow.
Elizabeth shook her head at him. "But at least you're an honest scoundrel."
"You wound me," Jack objected, holding a hand over his heart as he moved away from her to take a seat. "I'll forgive you so long as you don't let it get around."
"I promise," Elizabeth chuckled.
"Oh, my love, I was so worried," Diamond said, helping her daughter settle back onto the bed before pulling back to reguard the girl. "Poor dear. You look awful."
Pearl laughed. "I know. I could hardly make two bits in the streets of Tortuga at the moment."
Diamond nodded agreement, brushing at her daughter's hair. "Lucky for us you're no prostitute, my dear. You'll gain it all back, at any rate."
"I'm not of much use as a pirate at the moment either," she sighed out.
"That's why we're trying you out as a country girl," Norrington put in.
"Which reminds me," Pearl said suddenly, turning to Elizabeth, "could you find some cloth and thread and pack it to take along? Reading is all well and good but I think I'd like to do something with my hands as much as anything else."
"You sew?" Norrington asked with a note of disbelief.
"Of course I sew. I mean, Jack sews," she said dismissively with a wave of her hand.
Jack shrugged at his close scrutiny. "Do I seem the sort to run off and find a taylor every time my shirt rips? And I don't let many people come after my cuts with needle and thread."
"I embroider," Pearl added, more for Elizabeth's benefit than anyone else's. "And knit if the mood strikes me. I still say that's the reason I'm so good at knots on the ship. That sort of thing comes naturaly, after a while."
Norrington shrugged. "I still have to wrap up some lose ends at the office. You get some rest. We leave early tomarrow." Crossing the room he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She moved at the last minute to capture his lips. He pulled away quickly as Diamond chuckled. "I told you I'm engaged," he scolded.
"I told you I don't care," she answered.
"At least I know you're getting better," he sighed. "Take care of yourself," he ordered before striding out.
"How long has he been engaged?" Diamond asked.
Pearl shrugged. "A while. I told him to, Mother, before you start pulling a lecture together."
"But you care about him," she objected.
"Then I should want him to be happy," she answered. "He wouldn't be happy with me."
"You can't know that, darling," Diamond argued.
Pearl sighed heavily. "Rescue me, would you Father?"
"Sorry luv, you're on your own. I learned the folly of arguing with Miss Diamond ages ago," Jack returned from his spot in a nearby chair with his hat pulled low over his eyes, one jeweled hand waving lazily toward them.
"Will is out finishing some things up," Elizabeth spoke up.
"How is the packing going?" Pearl asked.
"Well," Elizabeth answered.
"Your father didn't object too strenuously to your going?" she asked.
Elizabeth laughed. "Pearl, I have been the apple of my father's eye as long as I can remember. He can deny me nothing. Besides, visiting a country home is considerably safer than sailing off on a pirate's ship. And he does still believe you're Bethany Maltrey. How could I not go with my cousin?"
"Of course," she said. "How silly of me."
"I'm going to go see to some things. Diamond, if she starts nodding off just slip out. She must be exhasted, although she'll die before she admits it."
Pearl stuck her tongue out at Elizabeth as she left the two to catch up.
Author's note: So there you go. Next comes the journey. It'll be a fine ride, I promise. In the mean time, finals approach and my notes beckon. (Melodramatic? What do you mean I'm being melodramatic?) In the mean time, make my week and review for me. It'll be a spot of light in an otherwise bleak world. Oops, melodrama again. I had better go before I say something unforgivably sad.